Management

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Use of an Accountability Framework as an Alternative Approach for Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting and Disclosure Practices In Jordan

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
University of Dundee, 1995
Year of Publication: 
1995
Authors: 
Nafez Abu-Baker
University of Dundee
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economic and Social Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Preferred Abstract (Original): 

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Management of Healthcare Waste in Circumstances of Limited Resources: A Case Study in the Hospitals of Nablus City, Palestine

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Waste Manag Res June 2009 vol. 27 no. 4 305-312
Year of Publication: 
2009
Authors: 
Issam A. Al-Khatib
Institute of Environmental and Water Studies, Birzeit University, West Bank, Palestine
Yousef S. Al-Qaroot
Faculty of Medical Allied Sciences, Arab American University, Jenin, West Bank, Palestine
Mohammad S. Ali-Shtayeh
Faculty of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, An-Najah National University, Nablus. Palestine
Preferred Abstract (Original): 

The objectives of this study were the assessment of healthcare waste management and the characterization of healthcare waste material generated in the hospitals in Nablus city, Palestine, and furthermore, to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B among the cleaning personnel working in these hospitals. The medical waste generation rate in kg per bed per day was between 0.59 and 0.93 kg bed— 1 day—1. The waste generation rate in the healthcare facilities of Nablus city hospitals was similar to some other developing countries; however, the percentage of medical wastes in the total waste stream was comparatively high. The density of medical waste at the four hospitals studied ranged between 144.9 and 188.4 kg m— 3 with a mean value of 166.7 kg m—3. The waste segregation and handling practices were very poor. Other alternatives for waste treatment rather than incineration such as a locally made autoclave integrated with a shredder should be evaluated and implemented. The system of healthcare waste management in Nablus city is in need of immediate improvement and attention. Formulating rules and guidelines for medical waste and developing strategies for overcoming the obstacles related to waste management should be considered as an urgent matter.

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Assessment and management of long-term nitrate pollution of ground water in agriculture-dominated watersheds

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
 Journal of Hydrology (295): 225–245. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2004.03.013
Year of Publication: 
2004
Authors: 
Mohammad N. Almasri
Utah Water Research Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-8200, USA
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, An-Najah National University, P. O. Box 7, Nablus, Palestine
Jagath J. Kaluarachchi
Utah Water Research Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-8200, USA
Preferred Abstract (Original): 
The objectives of this paper are to document and evaluate regional long-term trends and occurrences of nitrate in the ground water of agricultural watersheds. In Whatcom County, Washington, elevated nitrate concentrations in ground water are of great concern. Whatcom County is recognized by heavy agricultural activities, especially an intensive dairy farm industry. Historical nitrate concentration data from 1990 to 2000 were compiled from different agencies and assembled into a single composite database. A geographic information system was used to assess the spatial and temporal variability of nitrogen data. The analysis was conducted for the whole area as well as for individual watersheds and for different land use classes. In addition, nitrate concentration variability with descriptive parameters such as sampling depth, ground water recharge, dissolved oxygen, and on-ground nitrogen loadings was also investigated. The analysis showed that the areas with nitrate concentrations above the maximum contaminant level are areas characterized by heavy agricultural activities. The shallow surficial aquifers of the study area were found to contain high mean nitrate concentrations when compared to non-surficial aquifers. The analysis showed that high nitrate presence corresponds to areas with both high ground water recharge and high on-ground nitrogen loadings. In addition, the nitrate concentration decreased with increasing sampling depth. In general, the trend of long-term nitrate concentration remained elevated in shallow aquifers due to the persistent on-ground nitrogen loadings produced by agriculture-related land use practices. Finally, the watersheds were prioritized for management intervention, alternatives, and data monitoring based on a number of decision variables.
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Nitrate Contamination Of Groundwater: A Conceptual Management Framework

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Environmental Impact Assessment Review 27 (2007) 220–242
Year of Publication: 
2007
Authors: 
Mohammad N. Almasri
Water and Environmental Studies Institute, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Civil Engineering, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Preferred Abstract (Original): 
In many countries, public concern over the deterioration of groundwater quality from nitrate contamination has grown significantly in recent years. This concern has focused increasingly on anthropogenic sources as the potential cause of the problem. Evidence indicates that the nitrate (NO3) levels routinely exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/l NO3-N in many aquifer systems that underlie agriculture-dominated watersheds. Degradation of groundwater quality due to nitrate pollution along with the increasing demand for potable water has motivated the adoption of restoration actions of the contaminated aquifers. Restoration efforts have intensified the dire need for developing protection alternatives and management options such that the ultimate nitrate concentrations at the critical receptors are below the MCL. This paper presents a general conceptual framework for the management of groundwater contamination from nitrate. The management framework utilizes models of nitrate fate and transport in the unsaturated and saturated zones to simulate nitrate concentration at the critical receptors. To study the impact of different management options considering both environmental and economic aspects, the proposed framework incorporates a component of a multi-criteria decision analysis. To enhance spatiality in model development along with the management options, the utilization of a land use map is depicted for the allocation and computation of on-ground nitrogen loadings from the different sources.
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Modeling nitrate contamination of groundwater in agricultural watersheds

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Journal of Hydrology (2007) 343, 211– 229
Year of Publication: 
2007
Authors: 
Mohammad N. Almasri
Water and Environmental Studies Institute, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, Palestine
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Civil Engineering, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Jagath J. Kaluarachchi
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84321-8200, USA
Preferred Abstract (Original): 
This paper presents and implements a framework for modeling the impact of land use practices and protection alternatives on nitrate pollution of groundwater in agricultural watersheds. The framework utilizes the national land cover database (NLCD) of the United State Geological Survey (USGS) grid and a geographic information system (GIS) to account for the spatial distribution of on-ground nitrogen sources and corresponding loadings. The framework employs a soil nitrogen dynamic model to estimate nitrate leaching to groundwater. These estimates were used in developing a groundwater nitrate fate and transport model. The framework considers both point and non-point sources of nitrogen across different land use classes. The methodology was applied for the Sumas–Blaine aquifer of Washington State, US, where heavy dairy industry and berry plantations are concentrated. Simulations were carried out using the developed framework to evaluate the overall impacts of current land use practices and the efficiency of proposed protection alternatives on nitrate pollution in the aquifer.
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Trends And Occurrences of Nitrate In The Groundwater of The West Bank, Palestine

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Applied Geography Volume 29, Issue 4, December 2009, Pages 588-601
Year of Publication: 
2009
Authors: 
Fathi M. Anayah
Utah Water Research Laboratory, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84321, USA
Mohammad N. Almasri
College of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, West Bank, Palestine
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Civil Engineering, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Preferred Abstract (Original): 

Groundwater is the major source of water to the Palestinians. Efficient management of this resource requires a good understanding of its status. This understanding necessitates a characterization of the quality of the utilizable volumes. This paper focuses on the assessment of nitrate concentrations in the aquifers of the West Bank, Palestine. A preliminary statistical analysis is carried out for the spatial and temporal distributions of the nitrate concentrations. GIS is utilized to facilitate the analysis and to efficiently account for the spatiality of nitrate concentrations. The analysis was carried out at different spatial levels and key parameters including soil type, watersheds, depth, population, and rainfall. It is observed that elevated nitrate concentrations in the groundwater greatly coincide with increasing rainfall, particularly in the last few years. Results confirm that the annual mean nitrate concentration in the Western groundwater basin has an increasing trend over the period from 1982 to 2004 indicating its vulnerability to contamination. This result can be attributed to the agricultural activities along with the high groundwater recharge. However, leaking septic and sewer systems are considerably causing nitrate contamination of groundwater in populated areas. Overall, the recommendations call for an immediate intervention to manage the quality problems in the West Bank aquifers.

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Assessment Of Intrinsic Vulnerability To Contamination For Gaza Coastal Aquifer, Palestine

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Journal of Environmental Management 88 (2008) 577–593
Year of Publication: 
2008
Authors: 
Mohammad N. Almasri
Water and Environmental Studies Institute, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, Palestine
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Civil Engineering, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Preferred Abstract (Original): 
Gaza coastal aquifer (GCA) is the major source of fresh water for the 1.5 million residents of Gaza Strip, Palestine. The aquifer is under deteriorating quality conditions mainly due to the excessive application of fertilizers. The intrinsic vulnerability of GCA to contamination was assessed using the well-known DRASTIC method. Detailed analysis of the intrinsic vulnerability map of GCA was carried out and did consider different relationships between the vulnerability indices and the on-ground nitrogen loadings and land use classes. In addition, correlation between vulnerability values and the nitrate concentrations in GCA was studied. Based on the vulnerability analysis, it was found that 10% and 13% of Gaza Strip area is under low and high vulnerability of groundwater contamination, respectively, while more than 77% of the area of Gaza Strip can be designated as an area of moderate vulnerability of groundwater contamination. It was found that the density of groundwater sampling wells for nitrate concentration is high for the moderate and high vulnerability zones. The highest first quartile, median, mean, and third quartile of nitrate concentrations are reported in the high vulnerability zones. Results of sensitivity analysis show a high sensitivity of the high vulnerability index to the depth to water table.
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Assessment Of Nitrate Contamination Of Groundwater Using Lumped-Parameter Models

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Environmental Modelling & Software 24 (2009) 1073–1087
Year of Publication: 
2009
Authors: 
Lubna Hajhamad
College of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, Palestine
Mohammad N. Almasri
College of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, Palestine
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Civil Engineering, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Preferred Abstract (Original): 

In this paper, lumped-parameter models (LPMs) were developed and utilized to simulate nitrate concentration in the groundwater of Gaza City and Jabalia Camp (GCJC) in the Gaza Coastal Aquifer (GCA) in Palestine. In the GCJC area, nitrate levels exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/L NO3-N (45 mg/L NO3) in many wells. Elevated nitrate concentrations in the groundwater of GCJC area are due to the disposal of untreated wastewater, the existence of heavy agriculture in the surrounding areas, and the use of cesspits for wastewater disposal. The developed LPMs utilize monthly time steps and take into consideration all the sources and sinks of water and nitrate in the study area. The main outcomes of the LPMs are the average temporal water table elevation and nitrate concentration. In order to demonstrate LPMs usability, a set of management options to reduce nitrate concentration in the groundwater of the study area were proposed and evaluated using the developed LPMs. Four broad management options were considered where these options tackle the reduction of nitrate concentration in the lateral inflow, rehabilitation of the wastewater collection system, reduction in cesspit usage, and the restriction on the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers. In addition, management options that encompass different combinations of the single management options were taken into account. Different scenarios that correspond to the different management options were investigated. It was found based on the LPMs that individual management options were not effective in meeting the MCL of nitrate. However, the combination of the four single management options with full rehabilitation and coverage of the wastewater collection network along with at least 60% reduction in both nitrate concentration in the lateral inflow and the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers would meet the MCL constraint by the end of the management period.

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